The University is also headquarters for such scholarly and professional organizations as the American Philosophical Association, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, and the Urban Affairs Association. 

For descriptions of additional centers, see sections on individual colleges and academic programs. 

Established in 1989 within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Center for Applied Coastal Research offers one of the nation's foremost graduate programs in coastal and ocean engineering, leading to both master's and doctorate degrees. To achieve its mission to maintain an intercollege regional center for research in coastal and nearshore problems, the center provides state-of-the-art research equipment and prompt technology transfer of knowledge to industry and government. Center participants provide a wide range of expertise and include members of the Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty, as well as individuals from the Department of Geology, the College of Marine Studies, the Stevens Institute of Technology, the U.S. Naval Academy, Cornell University, University of Rhode Island, Penn State, and Drexel University. 

The Applied Science and Engineering Laboratories (ASEL) is an internationally recognized program whose mission includes research, education and outreach. Its research focuses on how people interact with computers and other technologies with a strong emphasis on the needs of people with disabilities. Current project areas include: 1) new computer interfaces based on gesture, eye gaze, and brain waves; 2) information retrieval and processing using virtual reality and artificial intelligence; 3) new speech interfaces for communication; 4) the application of robotic and telemanipulation systems to assist people with motor impairments; and 5) novel approaches to therapeutic and educational technologies such as "virtual laboratories" for students with disabilities. ASEL's research mission is complemented by its educational program which includes teaching in various University departments, major participation in the Biomechanics and Movement Science program, and support for undergraduate and graduate research. Its outreach program includes publications, meetings, and technical assistance at the state, national, and international levels. 

The Center for Archaeological Research is part of the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Science. With its focus on the prehistoric and historic archaeology of the Middle Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, the center provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analysis through field schools and sponsored research programs. Research activities of the center have been sponsored by a number of state and federal agencies. Current sites under study range from a 10,000-year-old Paleo-Indian hunting camp in Southern Delaware to a 3,000-year-old Woodland period hamlet in central Delaware, to a mid-17th-century plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, to mid-19th-century tenant farms in Northern Delaware. Opportunities for multi-disciplinary research are available and include applications of remote sensing in archaeology (Center for Remote Sensing) and paleoenvironmental studies (Department of Geology). 

The center educates graduate and undergraduate students in catalytic science and engineering in a laboratory that includes postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars from industry and other universities. Center research involves reaction engineering, surface science, materials preparation, modeling, and surface characterization. Other work is directed toward disseminating knowledge of state-of-the-art catalysis research through preparation of short courses, textbooks, research publications, software, special seminars, and presentations at technical meetings. Students under center auspices may obtain the master's or Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering or chemistry. 

A University-wide Center for Climatic Research was established in the Department of Geography in 1978. The purpose of the center is to bring together scientists from the University community who are working in either basic or applied climatology to share their research ideas and to undertake interdisciplinary studies. The center serves to emphasize the University's commitment to develop meaningful research in climatology, and it provides an organization to attract outside funding. Current research includes studies of global climate change, the role of the landsurface in climate change, impacts of climate change on human health and water resources, glacier energy and mass budgets, hydroclimatology of South America, and relationships between snow cover and weather patterns. 

The purpose of the Center for Colloidal Science is to foster research on fine particles. This includes studies dealing with particles in environments ranging from natural and toxic materials in rivers, estuaries and oceans, to particles in soils and in industrial processing, and a variety of aerosol particles. The center strives to bring together individual researchers from diverse disciplines, including agriculture, chemistry, chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, and geology to conduct complementary studies. 

Founded in 1974 within the University of Delaware's College of Engineering, the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) is an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary center of excellence for composites research and education. CCM's 34,000-square-foot Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory houses some $8 million worth of composites manufacturing, characterization, testing, and computational equipment. More than 25 faculty members, 40 graduate students, and 35 undergraduates are currently affiliated with the Center through the Departments of Chemical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Biochemistry,  and Materials Science and Engineering, and the College of Business and Economics. 

Graduate students participate in research, workshops, research symposia, poster sessions, and lab tours for industrial and Army sponsors. They have the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary research teams, to mentor undergraduate research assistants, and to interact with industrial and government sponsors. 

CCM has been an Army Research Office (ARO) Center of Excellence for Manufacturing Science, Reliability, and Maintainability Technology since 1986; in mid-1996, a second Army Center of Excellence was established at CCM when the Army Research Lab (ARL) selected UD as one of three academic partners in the development of a Materials Center of Excellence. CCM is also a member of the Tuskegee University Research Consortium, which focuses on intelligent resin transfer molding for integral armor applications. 

CCM has developed core competencies in a number of composites science and engineering areas, including textile preforming, liquid molding, novel thermoset processing, thermoplastic processing, joining, interphase science, sensing and control, and cost modeling/Six Sigma analysis. Other major programs at the Center include a rapidly growing initiative in composites for infrastructure applications, which encompasses composite bridge deck research and research on steel girder rehabilitation using composites. 

The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies was established at the University of Delaware in 1991 to facilitate collaborative research and publishing on substance abuse among social and behavioral science faculty, professional staff, and students. Administratively housed in the University's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, the center is funded primarily through sponsored research grants and contracts. 

The principal mission of the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies is the production, dissemination, and utilization of scientific knowledge in two broad areas: 

• the etiology, patterns and consequences, and prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse; and,
• the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and the prevention of HIV disease among high-risk populations.

• training graduate and undergraduate students in substance abuse research and associated quantitative and qualitative methods;
• serving as a substance abuse research information repository for students and colleagues seeking statistical and ethnographic data for secondary analysis;
• providing technical assistance to colleagues and local agency personnel seeking federal grant support for prevention and treatment programs;
• sponsoring lecture and colloquia series, workshops, and conferences for members of the University community, the substance abuse and AIDS fields, and the public at large.

The Center for the Mathematics of Waves is dedicated to furthering the understanding of wave phenomena, including propagation and scattering (direct and inverse) of acoustic, elastic, electromagnetic, quantum mechanic and hydrodynamic waves, and preparing students for careers in those areas. The center serves as a resource for industry and government on basic mathematical problems underlying such diverse applications as remote sensing, nondestructive testing, tomography, hyperthermia, discrimination and identification of scattering objects, antenna design, and ship motion. Active research programs in acoustic and electromagnetic inverse scattering, acoustic-elastic interaction, seismic inversion, underwater acoustics and quantum mechanics are presently being pursued with support from the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of Naval Research. Graduate students may pursue their doctorates in wave-related topics in the Departments of Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The center maintains an active program for both short- and long-term visits. Recent visitors have come from Great Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Greece, and Turkey as well as the United States. Latest research findings and preprints of articles to appear in books and journals are available in the center report series. A yearly list of reports is widely circulated and is available from the center office. 

Thermodynamics is at the very center of chemical engineering practice. The Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, CMET, a research unit within the Department of Chemical Engineering, serves as a focal point stimulating collaborative experimental and theoretical research and encouraging the development of new educational materials, textbooks, monographs, and regular and short courses, in all areas of thermodynamics and also maintains state-of-the-art thermodynamics laboratories. 

Research at the Center is conducted by the faculty, their undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scientists, and research professionals. Students are deeply involved in the Center research, which is being carried out with the support of industrial and governmental grants and contracts. Current projects involve studies of applied and statistical thermodynamics and computational chemistry including the use of supercomputers, the measurement of vapor-liquid equilibrium, environmental thermodynamics, supercritical fluids, the thermodynamic properties of polymeric materials and proteins, structure and phase behavior of complex fluids, surfactants and colloid science, transport phenomena, high-temperature aqueous solutions, and thermodynamic properties of biological compounds. 

The Center's laboratory facilities provide students access to and training in the operation of modern equipment including supercomputers, surface forces apparatus, laser light, x-ray and neutron scattering, various spectroscopic techniques, and a wide variety of equipment for the measurement of phase equilibria and physical properties. 

Through their involvement in research for their thesis projects, graduate students associated with the Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics earn either a Master's or Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering. 

The Center for Remote Sensing serves as a focal point for basic and applied research on remote sensing of the physical, geological, and biological properties of the oceans and the coastal zone. The Center employs about twenty faculty, staff, graduate students, and visiting scientists. Since 1972 it has trained about 200 specialists from 14 countries in various aspects of remote sensing, coastal management and the environmental sciences. The Center specializes in interdisciplinary research and training, with emphasis on coastal processes and marine resources. Research vessels, aircraft, and satellites equipped with multispectral, infrared, and microwave sensors are used for gathering data. Interactive digital computer systems are employed to analyze and enhance the satellite imagery. In addition to course work, graduate students write theses or dissertations on satellite oceanography, global climate change, optical physics of coastal waters, wetland productivity and health, pollutant drift and dispersion, watershed land use and pollution run-off modeling, and applications of remote sensing and GIS to coastal resource management. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation, NASA, NOAA, ONR, EPA, AID, UNDP, companies and private foundations. The Center is conducting coastal studies in the United States, South America, and Asia. It has provided training to scientists and students from Germany, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, India, Japan, China, Australia, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Canada, and the United States. For more details, call Dr. Vic Klemas, Director, Center for Remote Sensing, at (302) 831-8256 or Dr. X-H. Yan, Associate Director, at (302) 831-3694. 

Since 1973, the Center has conducted research on a wide range of marine and environmental policy subjects at international, national, regional, and local levels; organized conferences and publications; provided policy advice to government agencies and other entities; and hosted post-doctoral visitors. Research at the Center is carried out by its co-directors in association with other marine policy faculty, other UD natural and social scientists, scholars at other universities, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate research assistants. 

Examples of research: International environmental negotiations related to the 1992 Earth Summit; implementation of Earth Summit agreements on global climate change, biodiversity, integrated ocean/coastal management, sustainable development of island states, and inter-jurisdictional fisheries; policy opportunities and constraints facing the environmental technology industry; conceptual framework for multiple-use ocean management; regional approaches to ocean management; policy issues in marine biotechnology; impacts of sea-level rise in coastal communities; design for national ocean policy; ocean/coastal management issues in the Mid-Atlantic; remote sensing and managing ecosystem health; coastal erosion policies for Delaware. 

Policy analysis/advice to national and international entities: Includes the World Bank; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission; National Research Council; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Maritime Administration; National Marine Fisheries Services, Department of Interior; States of Delaware and Hawaii; Western Governors' Association; Pacific Basin Development Council; Coastal States Organization; and U.S. Environmental Business Council. The Center also administers the NOAA Coastal Ocean Policy Roundtable. 

Special programs with other institutions:

• Secretariat to the Ocean Governance Study Group: A network of leading marine policy scholars and advisors that conducts scholarly analyses and organizes conferences, publications, and briefings on options for improving ocean governance in the United States and internationally. 
• Cooperative Exchange Programs: The Center has cooperative exchange programs with 5 universities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., and with the Korean Ocean Resources Development Institute. 
• Port of Singapore Certificate Program in Port Management: A joint program aimed at mid-career professionals from around the world. 
• Train Sea Coast Programme, UN Law of the Sea Office: The Center is one of 9 academic centers in the world participating in a UN-organized training network in ocean and coastal management. 
• Marine Affairs and Policy Association: The Center has played a leading role in the formation and administration of this professional association and publishes the association's directory. 
• International Coastal and Ocean Organization (ICO): Representing ICO, Center researchers are accredited to the UN's Economic and Social Council and participate in UN conferences related to Earth Summit implementation. 
• Publications and Conferences: The center's extensive program of publications and conferences includes the international journal, Ocean and Coastal Management (published 12 times a year by Elsevier Publishers, United Kingdom), publications of the Ocean Governance Study Group, and policy analysis reports for national and international agencies. The Center organized 12 conferences and workshops during 1992-95 and hosts an active speaker program. 

The Center for Teaching Effectiveness is dedicated to promoting excellence in teaching at the University of Delaware. To this end, the center sponsors a series of faculty colloquia, roundtables, workshops, and seminars for the presentation and discussion of current issues, ideas and developments in higher education. Two teaching consultants are available to aid teaching staff through private, confidential consultation, and to assist new and experienced faculty and teaching assistants with individual and collaborative projects for teaching improvement. Departmental groups and committees make use of the consultants for sessions on special topics. Each year, proposals for improvement-of-instruction grants are solicited from regular full-time faculty of every rank and discipline and professional staff with comparable teaching responsibilities. All proposals receive careful evaluation by a faculty advisory committee which then makes recommendations for funding. A number of small grants are also provided each year for departmental instructional development and special projects. The center offers a fall orientation conference for all TAs and ongoing assistance to departmentally based, discipline-specific TA training. The Handbook for Teaching Assistants is also available to new and experienced faculty. The two newsletters, "About Teaching" and "Teaching Excellence," appear several times a year and are distributed to the faculty, administration, and teaching assistants of the University. 

The Delaware Geological Survey was established by an Act of the General Assembly in 1951 and is organized as a unit of the University. This arrangement reflects both the research orientation of the Survey and the need for practical applications of geology throughout the state. The Survey is charged with the systematic investigation of the geology, mineral, and water resources of Delaware and with the advisement of state and local agencies, municipalities, industries, and individuals concerning these matters. In fulfillment of this charge it conducts a program of geologic research, exploration, and service. The Survey's staff, under the direction of the State Geologist, is appointed by the University. 

Survey programs are coordinated with a number of state agencies, and the Survey serves, by statute, as the state's cooperator with such federal units as the U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Management Service, and the Delaware River Master. Liaison and counsel are provided to other appropriate governmental and technical units through various appointments held by the State Geologist and other members of the scientific staff. The new Delaware Geological Survey Building was completed in 1989. Because of its proximity to Penny Hall and the Department of Geology, students may benefit from association with Survey geologists and their research projects. In addition, some of the geologists participate in teaching programs and may serve on graduate student committees. 

The research results of the Delaware Geological Survey are published as Bulletins, Reports of Investigations, Geologic and Hydrologic Maps, Atlas and Miscellaneous Map Series, Special Publications, Open File Reports, and journal articles. Well records, sample library, and other data collections are additional resources available to the scientific community and the general public at the Delaware Geological Survey Building. For further information, contact the Survey or the DGS Earth Science Information Center at (302) 831-2833, by E-mail at: DGS@mvs.udel.edu, or on the web at http://www.udel.edu/dgs/dgs.html. 

The Delaware Transportation Institute (DTI) was established in 1993 as a joint venture between the University of Delaware and the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) to create a university-wide, multidisciplinary program of transportation-related research. DTI identifies sources of funding for faculty researchers and coordinates research opportunities with DelDOT and others. The objective of the institute's research program is to improve the development and operation of transportation systems, policies, and programs that serve Delawareans. 

The Disaster Research Center (DRC), the first center of its kind in the world, was established in 1963 and located at the University of Delaware in 1985. It engages in sociological  research on individual, community, organizational preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters. Since its inception, DRC teams, mostly made up of graduate students supported by the Center, have undertaken more than 580 different field studies, including a number outside the United States. Current and recent funding is from the National Science Foundation, The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the NOAA Sea Grant Program.  The resource collection of the center, numbering over 32,000 items, is the world's most complete collection on the social and behavioral aspects of disasters.  More information about DRC, including its list of available publications, can be obtained by writing the Office Coordinator, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, or by calling (302) 831-8791. DRC's home page can be accessed through http://www.udel.edu/DRC/drc.htm. 

The Financial Institution Research and Education Center focuses the efforts of the College of Business and Economics on issues relevant to the financial services industry in Delaware. FIRE's resources provide grants to Delaware's College of Business and Economics faculty to produce analyses of problems relevant to the financial services industry which will be of value to executives within the industry and to public policy officials throughout the state. The center uses some of its resources to expand the availability of courses about the management of financial institutions, securities and insurance, and other fields. Drawing upon its relationship with the American Bankers Association and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, the center offers continued professional education to students and faculty through workshops, seminars, and publications. FIRE also serves as a research resource to the state banking and insurance commissions. 

The Center provides graduate students with the use of, and instruction in, electronic media for teaching and research. The Center's resources include: computers and scanners for the electronic manipulation of images; pre-recorded video-tapes; and 190,000 slides covering images in American, European, and World history. 

The Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC), established in 1972, is a laboratory devoted to research and development of thin-film photovoltaic cells. Fundamental material and device research is carried out in parallel with process engineering studies and analysis of film deposition processes. 

The Institute has a staff of some 23 professional and support personnel. This number is augmented each year by programs providing partial support for faculty, visiting scientists, and graduate and undergraduate students. Professionals from the Institute jointly supervise graduate students in Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics for their Master's and Ph.D. degrees. Additionally, professional staff lecture in undergraduate courses as well as supervise undergraduate research projects. 

The Orthopedic and Biomechanical Engineering Center (OBEC) is an interdisciplinary center whose mission is to provide engineering science and clinical technology to reduce the impact of disease on the everyday life of individuals. It was created to provide an appropriate forum and infrastructure to promote the interaction of researchers from the university and the medical community. As such, it serves as a research umbrella under which researchers from a variety of fields can work together and interact. OBEC builds on a history of interaction between the A.I. duPont Institute, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Physical Therapy, and the Sports Science Laboratory. The A.I. duPont Institute is a modern children's hospital that has extensive clinical and diagnostic facilities. In addition, research collaboration has been established with several other hospitals and medical facilities. Through the Department of Mechanical Engineering, OBEC researchers have access to an array of computer hardware and software, a variety of mechanical testing equipment, and a complete machine shop. The Sports Science Laboratory houses a state-of-the-art motion analysis facility complete with 4 high-speed cameras, 2 multi-axis force plates, an EMG telemetry unit, and a variety of computer and ancillary equipment. The laboratory can be configured to study almost any type of motion. The Motion Analysis Laboratory in the Physical Therapy Department is similarly equipped with a VICON-based system.  Presently, a number of research topics are being addressed. Several examples are: a study of air flow in the nasopharynx and its effects on sleep disorders, design and control of robotic manipulators for the disabled, position and force measurements during athletic activities, characterization of neuromuscular mechanisms for knee-joint stability, evaluating the effects of surgery on gait, lung deposition of aerosol particles, testing of surgical and protective devices, modeling of the length-tension relationship in skeletal muscle, and design of an advanced composite hip replacement. 

The federally created center supports research through the academic departments on the water-related problems of Delaware. Faculty in agriculture, engineering, and the physical and social sciences conduct research on water supply, water quality control and management, and water resources planning. Grants are awarded to faculty on a competitive basis, and students may be supported as research assistants. Traditionally, more than half of the research funds have been used for student support.